Friday, January 30, 2009

Well, the results are in and while I am surprised at the fact that WALL•E did not take home the Best Feature, and Best Feature Director, the majority of the production awards I had guessed would be going to Kung Fu Panda/Secrets Of The Furious Five. The one in particular that I missed and kind of knew all along was that Dustin Hoffman was going to be taking home the prize for voice acting. I chose Ian McShane, also for Kung Fu Panda, fully aware that it would probably be his co-star as mentioned above. Admittedly, when there were more than one animator/production designer/etc. nominated for Kung Fu Panda, I guessed and picked one. And on these, I only picked the wrong one once, in the Storyboarding Feature category.

I am quite pleased that I was able to sucessfully call both of the music awards, and several of the others as well. My feeling all along was that, while this may sound unusual, Kung Fu Panda has a more animated feel to it that WALL•E, and seemed more like an Annie Award contender. But, that’s just my take. Who knows how close these races were? This does beg the question though. Does WALL•E have serious competition at the Oscars? The Annie Awards do not always pick the same winner as the Oscars, as many may recall that Cars took home the Annie Award in 2006 at the 34th Annual Annie Awards, while the Oscar that year went to Happy Feet.

So WALL•E does not take home any awards, nor does Bolt. All of the movie awards this year went to Kung Fu Panda, I believe. It all comes down to the vote, I guess, and I am willing to bet that some of these races were very close indeed.

- Erin V.

2008 Annie Awards Predictions

Here are John C. and Erin V.’s predictions for the 36th Annual Annie Awards. We will post a list of winners later in the night. EDIT: Winners now included in bold-italic. Our correct guesses are also in bold type.

John C. had 8/24 correct guesses and Erin V. had 13/24. Needless to say, we call the movie categories quite a bit better it seems...

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature

Wall·E – Pixar Animation Studios - John C.

Wall·E – Pixar Animation Studios - Erin V.

Winner - “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

Best Animated Home Entertainment Production

Batman: Gotham Knight – Warner Bros. Animation - John C.

Batman: Gotham Knight – Warner Bros. Animation - Erin V.

Winner - “Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs,” The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Best Animated Short Subject

Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death – Aardman Animations Ltd. - John C.

Closing The Ring takes place over fifty-years. It takes place in 1991 in Branagan Michiganwhere Ethel Ann, (Shirley MacLaine), has just buried her husband and in Belfast, Northern Ireland where the young and naive Jimmy Reily, (Martin McCann) and old-man Mr. Quinlan, (Pete Postlethwaite), have found an old ring buried in the hillside. The film switches back and forth between 1991 and 1941, almost seamlessly as we realize how everyone is connected and how much impact the past can have on it’s future. I really liked how everything gets tied together at the end, so for this reason alone Closing The Ring is intelligent entertainment mixing in drama, romance and even some humor. The cinematography of Ireland, by Roger Pratt, is beautiful. Closing The Ring probably won’t be that easy to find, But is definitely worth checking out.

The DVD includes the film’s theatrical trailer and an interesting twelve-minute making-of featurette.

_____________________________________________

Closing The Ring Review By Erin V.

***1/2 (out of 4)

Closing The Ring is an extremely underrated film. This movie had much more than I had expected. The depth of the storyline is amazing as everything from the past is seen by the end as a direct cause of something in the present.

The movie opens in 1991 - fifty years after three American soldiers went to fight in WWII. In the present, 1991, Ethel Ann, (played in 1991 by Shirley MacLaine, and in 1941 by Mischa Barton), has just buried her husband who fought in the war fifty years prior. Meanwhile, young Jimmy Reilley, (Martin McCann), is on a hill in Belfast, Ireland, where he meets Mr. Quinlan, (Pete Postlethwaite), who is digging up a B-17 war plane that crashed fifty years ago. There, Jimmy finds a wedding ring, and decides to track down it’s owners.

The movie continues to cut back and forth between 1941 and 1991 and the level that these story lines match up is extraordinary. A lot of people may have found this movie confusing at times, and I am sure that you would get a lot more out of it on the second viewing. I enjoyed the background score that played throughout the movie, which was composed by Jeff Danna. Overall, Closing The Ring is a well made movie that is definitely worth watching especially around Remembrance/(Veteran’s) Day.

The disc also includes a 12 minute making of featurette called Love, Loss & Life: The Making Of Closing The Ring, and the theatrical trailer, which are both worth watching.

_____________________________________________

Closing The Ring Review By Nicole

*** (out of 4)

Closing The Ring is a wartime romance that spars over 50 years. The movie begins in the United States, in the year 1991. A funeral for a man named Chuck is being held in a small church, while his widow Ethel Ann sits outside. Meanwhile, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, an older man, Mr. Quinlan, and a young man Jimmy, are digging on a hill, searching for any remains of a lane that had crashed 50 years prior. The movie than flashes backward to 1941, and back again, showing how the characters’ lives are so intrinsically connected. In the end, everyone’s lives come together, like a ring.

The story in this film is amazing. The scenery is beautiful, and the score is just as lovely. The violence in this film is surprisingly minimal, considering that this is a wartime film. However, when violence is shown it is heart breaking, but really brings the story together. Nudity is also seen in 2 scenes, and is gratuitous, but is brief, and not the main focus of the film. Over all, this is a lovely movie about how every person is connected.

The bonus features include a 12 minute making of feature, and the trailer. The making of feature is good, but it would have been nice to have more bonus features. This is one movie that you will definitely want to own.

_____________________________________________

Closing The Ring Review By Maureen

*** (out of 4)

Closing The Ring is a lovely wartime romantic drama loosely based on a true story. The story is told through flashbacks between 1941 and 1991 and across two continents, in Belfast, Northern Ireland and in the Midwestern United States.

We first meet Ethel Ann, (Shirley MacLaine), in the U.S. in 1991 at the funeral of her husband, Chuck. She seems strangely detached and unable to grieve. The story then starts the flashbacks and flashfowards between the two eras and locations. The story moves quickly and the viewer has to pay attention to follow the connections between all the characters. The story does unfold with an ending that is satisfying to the viewer.

I liked the film. I liked the storyline about love and loss and the cinematography. The score is lovely to listen to and the acting genuine and believable. It has a nice lo key feel to it. My only complaint is the one full nude scene of the younger Ethel Ann. It does nothing to movie the story forward and seems to only be there for the sake of having a nude scene.

In terms of seeing this movie on DVD, it works well on the smaller screen and has enough in terms of extras to make it worthwhile. If you like wartime romances you’ll probably like this one. A good love story is always worth watching.

_____________________________________________

Closing The Ring Review By Tony

**** (out of 4)

At the end of 1941, Teddy (Stephen Amell) secretly married Ethel Ann (Mischa Barton) just before going off to war with his airman buddies Chuck (David Alpay) and [young] Jack (Gregory Smith). Teddy was killed when his plane crashed on Black Mountain overlooking Belfast. When Chuck came back Ethel Ann married him.

Closing the Ring moves back and forth between fictional Branagan Michigan and Belfast in 1991 and in flashbacks to 1941. In the opening 1991 Michigan scene we see Chuck’s daughter (Neve Campbell) and [old] Jack (Christopher Plummer) at his funeral while [old] Ethel Ann (Shirley MacLaine) sits smoking outside the church. Meanwhile young Jimmy (Martin McCann), meets the grumpy retired fireman Quinlan (Pete Postlethwaite) on Black Mountain, and helps him dig up bits of the plane wreck even though his granny Eleanor (Brenda Fricker) had warned him to stay away from there. He finds a gold ring and with Quinlan’s help phones Ethel Ann whose name with Teddy’s is engraved in it. In 1991 Black Mountain was a convenient location from which to set off IRA bombs. When Jimmy’s mountain hikes come under suspicion both from the IRA and RUC police, Quinlan sends him to America to deliver the ring.

I suspect that Closing the Ring may prove to be one of the most underrated and overlooked films of all time. Released in Britain in 2007 it was about a year before it came and went here with dismally mixed reviews, and its DVD release today has gone almost unnoticed. Though admittedly confused at first, over two hours we slowly discover how the lives of all these characters are connected over time and space as they come to grips with old secrets. Trashed by some, I believe this type of flashback narrative structure full of interesting coincidences was no more confusing here and was more plausible than the much more popular Slumdog Millionaire. It is a treat to see consistently excellent work from all the young actors and their older counterparts, brilliantly directed by Richard Attenborough, who at 83 could have been a war veteran himself. Despite the obvious dramatic nature of the stories, there is a lot of humour. For example, though Jimmy is pious and naive, his granny is often reminded by her plainspoken friends of her wartime Past providing much needed immoral support to the Yanks (including Jack).

Produced in Canada and Northern Ireland, the film is beautifully shot, using restored period aircraft from the Hamilton Ontario Wartime Aircraft Museum (plugging my home town). I suppose the brief scenes of partial nudity which put off my colleagues could have been left out. The fine musical score alternates between American and Celtic tunes. The DVD extras include a trailer and 12 minute featurette with the usual glowing comments all around between the actors and director which in this case are totally justified.

_____________________________________________

Consensus: Closing The Ring is a film that was seriously underrated in North America. It was nominated in 2008 for Best Film, and Best Production Design at the IFTA, (Irish Film and Television Awards) - and deservingly so. Though the storyline may seem complex at first, it is very well made, with solid acting. This movie is definitely worth checking out especially around Remembrance Day. ***1/2 (Out of 4)

Vicky, (Rebecca Hall), a smart and going to be married university student and her naive friend Cristina, (Scarlett Johansson), decide to spend their summer in Barcelona to take pictures, study the architecture and have a vacation. There they run into Juan Antonio, (Javier Bardem), a painter who still has feelings for his ex-wife. Penelope Cruz plays his ex as crazy, neurotic and impossible not to watch. She is fully deserving of her Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The cinematography of Spain by Javier Aguirresarobe, provides a scenic backdrop for the film. Woody Allen’s characters are totally believable, yet could only exist in the movies, his writing is sharp and the dialogue is very funny. From start to finish Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a lot of fun.

The DVD has no bonus features, not even the film’s theatrical trailer, so even though the film is great, it’s not really worth the 20 to 25 dollars that it is selling for.

_____________________________________________

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Review By Erin V.

***1/2 (out of 4)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona actually surprised me in a great way. I did not expect it to be as funny as it was. The writing is great, and would have been deserving of a Best Screenplay nomination.

The story begins when Vicky, (Rebecca Hall), and her friend Cristina, (Scarlett Johansson), go on a trip to Spain for the Summer. In Barcelona they meet Juan Antonio Gonzalo, (Javier Bardem). Both young women find him attractive, although Vicky is engaged to be married. As they strike up relationships with him, his estranged ex-wife, Maria Elena, (Penélope Cruz), comes back into the picture.

The acting by the whole cast is great, in particular by Penélope Cruz who is nominated for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona for an Oscar. This is most deserving, and I would not be surprised if she wins. Over all, this movie is very well made, and the light music in the background really keeps the mood. The other thing that I must note, is that I loved the narrator, (Christopher Evan Welch), which gave the film a certain mood that really fit here.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is definitely worth seeing at some point. Since the disc has no extras, you would not be missing out if you PPV this one. Eventually though, you may want to add it to your collection.

_____________________________________________

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Review By Nicole

***1/2 (out of 4)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a funny comedy, with a lot of interesting twists and turns. When two American women go to Barcelona to study the architecture, they run into an artist named Juan Antonio, who takes a liking to the both of them. Cristina finds him fun, and agrees to go off with him to Oveido. Vicky, however is engaged, and doesn’t want to go out with someone else, let alone a man who has a psychotic ex-wife. But Vicky agrees to go to Oveido, just to keep an eye on her naive and impulsive friend, Cristina. Things start to get complicated when Cristina gets sick. But the relationships between Vicky, Juan Antonio, and Cristina get in a real tangled knot when Juan Antonio’s ex-wife, Maria Elena comes back into the picture. There, some really unusual and quirky things start to happen.

This movie is fun and very exciting. The acting is excellent, and Penélope Cruz is perfect as Maria Elena. The scenery in the film is beautiful, and the narration track adds a light, comedic element to the movie. The music is very fitting, and quite lovely.

The only setback about the DVD is that there are no bonus features, not even a commentary track. However, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is such an enjoyable film, that the DVD is definitely worth owning.

_____________________________________________

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Review By Maureen

*** (out of 4)

The Golden Globes got it right when they named Vicky Cristina Barcelona Best Comedy/Musical Picture. Woody Allen’s romantic comedy about two American women, Vicky and Cristina, and their romantic adventures in Barcelona is extremely well written and very funny.

When both Vicky, (Rebecca Hall), and Cristina, (Scarlett Johansson), meet Juan Antonio, (Javier Bardem), their expectations of love and relationships are challenged and result in some interesting twists and turns. One of the interesting twists and turns comes form Juan Antonio’s mentally unstable ex-wife, Maria Elena, played to perfection by Penélope Cruz. It is no surprise that Cruz is up for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Oscars.

The fast-paced dialogue between the four main characters is what carries this film. The acting is excellent and the interactions between the characters is believable. The technique of using a narrator talk us through the story works well. The music also works really well in keeping the story interesting. Visually, this is a very pretty movie to watch. The Barcelona architecture and scenery are lovely. My only complaint is with the English subtitles when Juan Antonio and Maria Elena are speaking Spanish. I found the subtitles hard to read. They moved too quickly for me and the white type blended into some of the background.

Overall, this DVD is worth owning despite the fact that there are no extras or bonus features. If you are a Woody Allen fan, you’ll want this one. (Note that this is an adult comedy, not a family film.)

_____________________________________________

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Review By Tony

***1/2 (out of 4)

Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), in Spain for the summer, are invited by divorced artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) to his villa for a weekend of good food, wine and sex. Cristina, a free spirit, is charmed by Juan Antonio’s frankness just as much as Vicky, engaged to marry a man just as bourgeois as she, is scandalized. They accept, and Juan Antonio is not disappointed with either of them. Soon enough Cristina moves in with him. After some time, the ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) turns up after a suicide attempt and moves in under Juan Antonio’s care. I don’t want to reveal any more and spoil the fun.

Admittedly, after faithfully seeing the first 20 Woody Allen films back in the day, I got away from his work, save for Sweet and Lowdown. This is a good comeback for me, with all the sharp writing and wit of the best of his films. All the acting is brilliant as expected. A few differences were notable. Woody Allen himself doesn’t appear, not even as the narrator. The story is as appropriate to its Spanish setting as most of his New York stories fit their location. Don’t be creeped out by the appearance of Javier Bardem if you only know him from No Country for Old Men. His part here is much more typical of his work. The musical score, consisting largely of solo classical Spanish guitar pieces, is also perfect.

There are no real extras on the DVD, but it is still worth getting, if you can afford it. Woody Allen films rarely seem to go on sale.

_____________________________________________

Consensus: Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a funny romantic comedy with sharp writing, and strong performances by it’s actors. It is definitely deserving of the awards/nominations it has been getting. ***1/2 (Out of 4)

Thursday, January 22, 2009

I was upset by the fact that The Dark Knight wasn’t nominated for Best Picture, and The Reader got in instead, which is just solid proof the Academy is not cool enough to nominate a movie like The Dark Knight, which would only have made their ratings go up. But the one category that had me reloading the page, because there must have been a mistake, was Best Song. Everyone, myself included, thought Bruce Springsteen was in a lock to win for The Wrestler, which is perhaps one of the greatest film songs ever written, but he didn’t even get a nomination. That's right. No nomination for The Boss. Surprisingly, there are only three songs nominated, Jai Ho and O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire, and Down to Earth from WALL•E. It’s not like there wasn’t enough space, they can nominate up to five.

There were no actor or director nomination’s for Clint Eastwood for Gran Torino, no director nom for Darren Aronofsky for The Wrestler or Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight. No actress nom’s for Kristan Scott-Thomas in I’ve Loved You So Long or Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The Dark Knight should have been nominated for Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture, and The Wrestler should have not only been nominated, but have won for Best Song.

One of the nominees they did get right was for Heath Ledger’s brilliant turn in The Dark Knight, as The Joker. Exactly one year ago today he died of an accidental drug overdose, may he rest in peace.

So there you have it. Once again the Academy could have gotten it right, but they didn’t. And this year it wasn’t even that hard.

About 'One Movie, Five Views':

‘One Movie, Five Views’, is an innovative new website with a different way of reviewing movies...

Each movie will be reviewed by a team of five reviewers. This way after leaving the theatre the group of reviewers will discuss the film, in the same way that any other filmgoers would. Each reviewer will then write their own review, and from the five reviews an overall consensus of the movie will be made. [Please note, that DVD reviews, Soundtrack reviews, and special features may not necessarily follow the same format.] We will also post other movie and entertainment related news periodically. All movies will be reviewed out of four stars.

Subscribe To

Please Note:

All text and images on this website are copyright of their respective owners. No part of this website can be reproduced without written permission from the publishers. Thank you for your cooperation - 'one movie, five views' staff.